Adjustable fuel distributor



`March 23 1926,

Lwg C. F. STREET j ADJUSTABLE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR Filed Dec. l?, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l (lll/111411444141111@ March 23 1926.. LT@

c. F. STREET ADJUSTABLE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR Filed Dec. 19, 1923 2 sugars-sluwe#v a Patented Mar. 23, 1926..

UNITED STATES FFICE,

ADJUSTABLE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR.

Application filed December 19, 1923. Serial No. 681,550.

To all ywhom it may concerny Be it known that ll, CLEMENT F. STREET, of Greenwich, in the county of Fairiield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Fuel Distributors, of which the following is a speciiicat-ion. j

This invention relates to fuel distributors for use particularly in connection with locomotive stokers, the principal object being to provide an improved form of distributor and means for adjusting the same, whereby the fuel may be distributed upon any partisular portion of the grate area as may be desired.

ln the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical central section of an adjustable fuel distributor embodying my improvement; Fig. 2, an end elevation; Fig. 3, a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a plan; Fig. 5, a transverse section taken 0n the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the end portion of the lower half of the distributor; and, Fig. 7, a horizontal section taken on the line- 7-7 of Fig. 5.

According to the usual practice of mounting a fuel distributor` in a locomotive boiler, an .opening is made through the back head, 8, and a tube, 9, is inserted through the water space to connect the two boiler sheets to which it is welded to form a. water tight joint. rllhe distributor is then inserted through the tube, 9, and communicates at its rear end with an elbow, 12, 4to which is connected a pipe or conduit, 13, which serves to deliver the fuel from a source of supply to the distributor, the fuel beingdriven by steam or compressed air from a jet nozzle,

26, connected to supply pipe, 24, and controlled by a valve, 25.

It has also been proposed to provide a distributor with means for partially `rotating or rocking the same within the tube for the purpose of adjusting the position of the entiredistributor upon its axis in order to deliver fuel to different portions of the lire box, but this does not operate'to reach all parts of the grate. vAccording to my improvement the distributor is formed in separate sections, which are independently ad* justable, whereby various combinations of the deflecting surfaces may be obtained for producing a wider range of distribution.

According to the construction shown, the

distributor is made in two sections, an upper section, 10, and a lower section, 11. The lower section, 11, rests on the tube, 9, in which it is adapted to be partially rotated when adjusted to di'erent ositions. The upper section, 10, is mounte on the top of the lower section, 11, on which it is adapted to be rocked, or partially rotated, during manual adjustment. 'llhe forward end of the lower section, 11, projecting within the frebox, is provided with two curved ribs, 11, designed for the purpose of distributing the fuel to the back corners of the grate,

while the forward projection of' the upper section, 10, is provided with a fan-shaped series of corrugations, 10, diver ing toward the forward end, for scattering t e coal over the forward section of the lirebox, andalong the side sheets. The upper and lower sections, 10 and 11, are connected. at their rear ends, to the elbow, 12, by means of shouldered cap screws, 18, extending through slots formed in the lugs, 12, on the elbow, the slots allowing for the partial rotary, or rocking motion which may be given to either one or both of said sections, lwhenmanually adjusted" for distributing the coal upon different portions of the grate.

Any suitable means may be employed for rocking the distributor sections, but l have shown a stud, 14, link, 15, and lever, 16, for the lower section, and an adjusting handle, 20, connected directly to the upper section. The lower section may be clamped by a locking nut handle, 17, which is mounted on the fulcrum bolt of lever, 16, after being set in any desired position, and the upper section, 10, may be locked by means of the clamping nut, 23, on bolt, 22, mounted on the elbow, 12, and extending through a curved slot, 21, in the arm of the handle. 20.

ln the operation of this device, the coal is delivered to elbow, 12, through the conduit, 13, and driven from elbow,`,12, into the lirebox through the distributors by a jet of 100 of it comes in contact with the curved ribs, 105

11, and is diverted from its natural course to a point one side or the other of the distributor. That portion of the coal which passesI over the ribs, 11a, comes in contact with an inclined surface, 11b, which forms a no part of-this distributor, which inclined surface drives the coal upward against the upper half of the distributor. This upward movement brings the coal in Contact with the corrugations, 10a, and has a tendency to give it a definite and well-defined line of direction as it passes into the irebox, which line of direction can be controlled by the form and angle of the corrugations.

The primary object of this design of distributor is to enable the operator to make changes in the proportion of coal which is delivered to the different parts or zones of the irebox. Under normal conditions, both the top and the bottom distributors would be practically horizontal and While in this position are designed so as to give a fairly uniform distribution of the coal throughout the entire grate surface. Should it be desired to place an additional amount of coal in the lower right hand corner, the operating lever, 16, of the lower distributor would be thrown to the right. This motion of the distributor will throw the central point,

11, of the ribs, 11a, to the left side of thel center of the stream of coal which is entering the rebox, and at the same time will drop the right hand side of the distributor, increasing the inclination of the surface (which is already inclined in the form of the casting) and causing the coal to fall down into the right hand corner.

Should it be desired to increase the quan- 'tity of coal going to the left hand corner of the fire box, the lever 16 is thrown to the left, and the result is just the reverse of throwing it to the right.

Should it be desired to put a heavy fire in both back corners, by throwing the lever, 16, first to the extreme right and then to the extreme left, a heavy bank can be piled in either back corner.

.The operation of the upper distributor section for covering the center and forward portions of the tirebox is just the same as the operation of the lower section, except the movement is reversed. If it is desired to fire heavy on the right hand front section of the rebox, the lever, 20, is thrown to the left, and if it is desired to fire heavy Larmes on the left hand side, the lever, 20, is thrown to the right.

Tf it is desired to fire heavy on the back right hand corner and the front left hand corner of the grate, both levers, 20 and 16, are thrown to the right. lt will thus be seen that by movement of these levers any of the four zones or sections of the grate can be red heavy as desired.

As there are many forms of distributors, both movable and fixed, it is understood that my invention is not limited to any particular form, and it may also apply where there are a plurality of distributors for the irebox.

Having now described my invention, what T claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fuel distributor formed in two sections, an upper and a lower, the lower section being adapted to be mounted in a furnace wall, and the upper section mounted on the lower section with the capacity of a `partial rotary movement thereon, and means -for rotatably adjusting the upper section relative to the lower.

:2. A fuel distributor formed in t-wo sections, an upper and a lower, the lower section being adapted to be mounted in a furnace wall, and the upper section mounted on the lower section with the capacity of a partial rotary movement thereon, and means for rotatably adjusting either section rela.- tive to the other.

3. A fuel distributor formed in two sections, an upper and a lower, mounted for independent rotary movement, the upper section having a forward projection with di verging corrugations, and ythe lower section having curved ribs and an upwardly inclinedisurface, and means for rotatably adjusting said sections independently.

4. As an article of manufacture, a distributor divided longitudinally into sections, said sections being capable of partial rotation about the longitudinal axis of the distributor independently of each other.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' CLEMENT F. STREET. 

